


Love at Your Convenience

by SmoakingGreenArrow



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Adult Content, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, Making a Bet, Relationship of Convenience, Romance, Smut, They Say Fuck, Tropes Everywhere, and they fuck, happy endings only, tropes!, wait til you meet Oliver's cat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:41:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29268900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmoakingGreenArrow/pseuds/SmoakingGreenArrow
Summary: All of Oliver and Felicity’s friends keep getting married, while the two of them can’t seem to maintain anything serious. At a wedding, they decide to make a bet. One month of “dating” each other. Monogamy, romance, the whole experience. Just to see if they can do it, of course.
Relationships: Nyssa al Ghul/Sara Lance, Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak
Comments: 242
Kudos: 343





	1. The Wedding

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I've had this fic in the works for a few months now, thanks to a prompt on twitter that sparked the idea. I have the first few chapters finished and decided it's a good time to start sharing them. At least throughout February, updates will be every Sunday!  
> And of course, thank you to Caitlin for beta-ing for me. She betas almost everything I write at this point and I can't express how awesome it is to have a friend, sounding board, and honest feedback to rely on :)

It was impossible not to smile at the sight in front of her. Oliver Queen was out on the dance floor, spinning around with the sweetest little dance partner, neither of them having a care in the world. Nyssa’s niece Jacey was clearly smitten with Oliver ever since he’d had to carry her down the aisle at the wedding, since the poor girl was too shy to handle her flower girl duties alone. She’d been attached to Oliver’s hip the whole day, barely letting him take a step without taking her with him. And it was just as obvious that Oliver was entertaining himself by making her laugh.

He swung Jacey around in a circle like she weighed nothing, filling the room with her squeals of delight, before flinging her onto his hip again. He took one of her hands, rocking back and forth. And the whole time, her giggles echoed through the reception hall, carrying over the music. 

Felicity knew that she wasn’t the only woman in the room who couldn’t take her eyes off of Oliver. Not even close. In fact, he’d been turning heads ever since he walked in wearing his tux, looking like he’d just walked off the pages of a magazine. He always did. Which was half of the reason Felicity hated going out with their friends if she knew Oliver was going to be there. She’d seen him flirt. She’d seen him aim that charming smile at other women in the hopes of taking one home with him. And there was no denying that it made her feel sick.

But the way he danced with the little flower girl was just...adorable.

For some reason, he’d decided not to pursue any of the eager and willing bridesmaids today. 

_ Thank god for that. _

“Is he your boyfriend?”

Felicity pulled her eyes away from Oliver, glancing at the woman who had taken the seat next to her at the table. Her face was familiar...one of Nyssa’s sisters for sure. She winced, feeling bad that she couldn’t remember her name. There were six or seven sisters, to be fair. It was hard to keep track. And she had never spent much time with any of them besides Nyssa. “Oliver?” Felicity smiled, shaking her head. “No, he’s not my boyfriend.”

The woman smiled back, looking pleased with that news. “That’s good. He was flirting with me before the ceremony earlier. I wouldn’t mind finding a coat closet with him later, if you know what I mean.”

As if it was possible to  _ not  _ know what she meant.

Raising her eyebrows, Felicity blinked at the woman’s blunt statement.  _ Definitely a relative of Nyssa.  _ Looking back at Oliver, that nauseous feeling was starting to bubble in her chest again, and yep...she still  _ hated  _ it. 

It was hard enough knowing about Oliver’s reputation when it came to her fellow women. She wasn’t exactly keen on watching it happen right in front of her face.

Felicity nodded anyway, hoping there wasn’t too much venom in her voice as she replied, “Well, he loves baseball. You get him talking about that, and you’ll pretty much have him wrapped around your finger for the rest of your life.”

The unnamed sister looked a little surprised to get the advice, but then she smiled, nodding appreciatively. “Noted. Thanks.”

Felicity stood up from the table, grabbing her purse and straightening her gown with her hands. She felt a little bit uncomfortable in the dress; a silky, backless, lavender number that was tighter than the clothes she’d usually pick for herself. It wasn’t really her style, but even she could see that it looked good on her. Sara would never subject her to an ugly bridesmaid dress. She was a better friend than that.

After making her way to the bar, Felicity picked a chair that left her back to Oliver, deciding it’d be better not to let herself get swept up in any crazy, senseless, romantic wedding-induced ideas. Seeing him being sweet and kind to a kid shouldn’t make her feel any type of way. 

It wasn’t what she wanted.

It wasn’t what  _ he  _ wanted.

_ It wasn’t what they did. _

So it was better not poke the bear. Not tonight.

Sara and Nyssa had always known how to throw a party, and Felicity wasn’t the least bit surprised that their wedding had the same flare. Luckily, she knew most of the guests, their mutual friends from college and Sara’s family, so she felt comfortable sipping her drink and chatting with various people that came and went from the bar while she sat there for a while.

And it didn’t take very long for Sara’s cousin Tim to finally approach her, pulling the chair close as he sat down beside her. 

_ Of course. _

Felicity took a deep breath, fully aware that this conversation was going to come for her at some point during the day. That it would bite her in the ass eventually. Tim had hit on her at a holiday party the previous year. And at a family barbecue that Sara had dragged her to earlier that summer. He wasn’t a bad guy, just a little too stiff for her liking.  _ Boring. _

“Ms. Smoak,” Tim smiled, leaning uncomfortably close. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Mr. Lance, nice to see you too,” she returned the smile, dreading the inevitable small talk. He seemed to think that striking up a conversation about the holiday decorations at the party last year meant that she was flirting with him. Or discussing the beautiful weather on that summer day at the cookout meant that she was interested in him. He mistook her politeness for an attraction. And that irritated her to no end.

“I couldn’t believe Sara wanted you in her wedding once I saw you up there today. You looked great. Bit of a show stealer, aren’t you?”

Felicity winced. Because  _ that’s  _ not a weird and rude thing to say about your cousin on her wedding day. And exactly the kind of thing that turned her off to him, despite the fact that he was quite handsome. She wasn’t opposed to a one night stand if the opportunity presented itself, but Felicity couldn’t even muster up a single fuck for the guy. _ Literally. _

“Ah, well, thank you.”

Tim stayed next to her for a while, catching up while they finished their drinks. Felicity didn’t mind too much, since he mostly loved to talk about himself. Whether she was interested in listening or not, he didn’t seem to notice. Tim was also an accountant, and she could easily nod and hum her way through the conversation, pretending to be invested in his stories while he pretended he needed to lean in as close as he possibly could in order for her to hear him.

The music wasn’t that loud.

Felicity tried not to roll her eyes.

Eventually, thankfully, he got up to leave. But not without reminding her that she had his phone number and he’d be in town all weekend.

Felicity relaxed as he got up, knowing he’d probably have better luck with one of the Raatko sisters. Or he’d just get drunk and fall asleep somewhere, like he’d done at the barbecue.

Before she could even turn her head to make sure that Tim was really gone, she felt someone behind her. Felicity stiffened, uncomfortable with the sudden proximity of the man while he reached around her, waving to get the bartender’s attention. 

_ Personal space, much? _

After a moment, she sighed, relaxing when she recognized the hand that came to rest on the counter in front of her. Suddenly, the presence on her back was a familiar one, and Felicity welcomed the warmth of his chest hovering just behind her bare skin. 

The bartender nodded in their direction. “Whiskey, neat,” Oliver ordered. “And another glass of wine for this gorgeous girl, please.”

Even as she scoffed at him, Felicity practically melted. It was just the solace of someone who she knew and liked, who didn’t require forced smiles and chit chat. He was her friend. She didn’t have to worry about holding a polite conversation when it came to him. And it was a nice change after spending most of the wedding reception doing exactly that with all of Nyssa and Sara’s friends and family. 

She felt him lean further over her shoulder, his lips dropping to her ear. “What are you doing talking to Dim?”

Felicity tilted her head, making sure he could see her narrowed eyes. “Don’t be mean.”

“What?” Oliver smirked, feigning innocence. “Sara and I have been calling him Dim since we were in middle school. Poor guy doesn’t have an adventurous bone in his body. He’s the most dull guy you’ve ever met and you know it.” 

She frowned, feeling defensive even though she knew that he was right. “He’s not dull.” Oliver answered that with one look. And Felicity sighed, “Fine, yes, he’s dull. Very, very, dull.”

Taking a sip of his drink, Oliver kept his voice casual as he asked, “I take that to mean you didn’t sleep with him? Or you did, and found out he’s a snooze in bed, too?”

Felicity’s mouth popped open, a flush rising on her cheeks. “That’s none of your business.”

He shrugged, setting his drink down as he leaned in closer, his nose inches away from hers. “So you  _ did  _ screw him? I have to say, that’s a little disappointing. But if mediocre sex is what you’re into...”

“I didn’t sleep with him!” Felicity shoved him off.

“Well, would you give him a chance? Is he the kind of guy that can hold your attention, Felicity?”

Seeing the curiosity in his eyes, masked behind a teasing smirk, Felicity decided to play along. “He’s not a bad option for wedding sex, is he? As you know, I don’t mind doing all the work. So what does it matter if he’s boring in bed?”

With a snort, Oliver moved to sit in the chair Tim had just been occupying. And what a difference in energy it was. Tim’s closeness had made her skin crawl. Oliver’s closeness made her skin  _ ignite. _

“You can do better. Even for a one night stand,” Oliver mumbled into his glass.

_ Her thoughts exactly. _

“I don’t think one night stands and  _ standards  _ are two things that really go together,” she pointed out. He pinched his lips shut, his eyes searching hers for a brief moment. Felicity’s heart instantly sped up. She knew that look. She  _ loved  _ that look just as much as she hated it. Craved his attention as much as she feared it.

“Anyway,” Felicity huffed. “What about you?” It would be safer, and in both their best interests, to change the subject before he had a chance to continue discussing her sex life. Not that she really wanted to talk about  _ his _ , either. “One of Nyssa’s sisters seems interested in you.”

Oliver glanced over his shoulder, murmuring back, “Which one?”

Slapping his arm, Felicity laughed. “How many of them have you been flirting with!?”

He shrugged, “Just Talia. I don’t think it’s going anywhere, though.”

“Why not?”

He looked at her, his eyes dropping down her body before locking with hers. “You know why. I’m having a hard time taking my eye off someone else.”

She shook her head. “I thought we agreed…”

“ _ You _ agreed,” Oliver corrected, knocking the rest of his drink back in one gulp.

Felicity closed her eyes, giving her head a slight shake. “We  _ both  _ said that it wasn’t a good idea anymore.”

“Well that was before I saw you in this damn dress,” Oliver grumbled back. He rested his elbow on the counter, leaning his head on his palm as he turned to face her. “Really, Felicity, tell me what’s so different about tonight than any other night we’ve shared in the last three months.”

Felicity opened her mouth, then closed it, struggling to find the words to explain it. “I—I don’t know. Weddings are just...more intimate. Romantic.”

His lips twitched with a smile, “And you can’t handle the romance of a wedding and the absolute mind blowing orgasms I give you on the same night?”

She leveled him with a glare. “One of our best friends just promised to love her new wife for the rest of their lives. It’s meaningful and I care about them and it just...it’s emotional for me too, you know? Seeing Sara like this. Seeing her and Nyssa do this for real. So no, I don’t want to blur those lines tonight. And you shouldn’t either.”

“We’re not them, Felicity,” he answered calmly.

She felt her cheeks growing red, “I know we’re not, Oliver. We’re not...I’m not saying that we’re in love or anything. But I do care about you. And I care about our friendship. We’ve been doing a pretty decent job of compartmentalizing that from...the mind blowing orgasms we have whenever the mood strikes us. I just don’t want to ruin that by getting caught up in all the feelings that come with today. Okay?”

_ What they’d done in the past was...strictly physical. _

_ Or so she told herself. _

“Okay,” he sighed, standing up from the bar.

Part of Felicity died a little bit inside at how easily he accepted it. Part of her wanted him to fight a little bit harder. 

She kept her head down and her eyes on her drink as she waited for him to walk away. He still had time to find a bridesmaid or that sister to take home, after all.

So, it surprised Felicity when Oliver leaned in low, whispering in her ear. “Dance with me.”

Nodding, Felicity slipped her hand into his waiting one, unable to say no to the request. He led her onto the dance floor silently, finding room for them amongst the other guests. One of his arms wound around her waist, pulling her close. The other hand wrapped around hers, drawing it to his chest as he started to turn them in a slow circle.

Surprisingly, he wasn’t an awful dancer. They turned and turned, his feet guiding them with only the minor, expected clumsiness. After a moment, Felicity sighed, smiling as she tucked her head beneath his chin. 

She felt him press his cheek against her hair, “What’s so funny?” Oliver asked, apparently not missing the fact that she was smiling.

“You’re managing not to step on my toes. I’m just impressed.”

He simply hummed in response, his thumb grazing the small of her back, skin on skin. Felicity shivered, clinging closer.

“You know,” Oliver murmured, “I care about you, too. I know what you mean about weddings. Honestly, I do. We’ve hooked up a few times, Felicity...and I’m sorry if I’ve led you to believe that it doesn’t mean anything to me. It does.”

Felicity paused, stiffening for a brief moment before falling back in sync with the tiny circle they were moving in. She pulled her head back, wanting to see his face. “What do you mean?”

Oliver smiled down at her, his eyes softening. “Look, the truth is, I know we’re not like Sara and Nyssa, or Ronnie and Caitlin, or any of our other mutual friends who have gotten married in the last few years. I know that you and I aren’t going to end up like them. But ever since we slept together...the thing that I like most about it is that it’s just...easy. It’s you. And it’s me. And it’s—” he shrugged, glancing away. “I know our feelings for each other aren’t... _ that _ , but like you said, we care about each other. And I feel like it just—I don’t know, it makes the sex  _ better _ , somehow?”

Felicity blinked at him, “Um, yeah, Oliver...that’s usually how it works.”

The years they’d known each other and the respect they held for one another provided a level of intimacy and comfort that made having sex with him...kind of addicting. It felt good. It felt safe. And it was hot as hell.

But that was all that it was. A really good, really nice, really hot, physical connection between two friends.

In truth, Felicity was just relieved that it didn’t ruin their friendship or change things. The first time they fell into bed together could have ended very differently had they let their emotions into bed with them, too. Or worse, if the sex had been _ bad. _

She wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to look him in the eye again if they’d taken that risk just for a disappointing fuck.

“Well I didn’t know,” Oliver grumbled. “I’ve never—I’ve never had that before, okay?”

She raised an eyebrow, “I just assumed that you, um...haven’t you slept with your friends before?”

He huffed, either frustrated that she didn’t get it or annoyed that she was pointing out the truth. “Not—I mean, it’s not exactly the same thing. We’re  _ good  _ friends, Felicity. We’ve been friends for three years. You know pretty much everything about me. I’ve never been friends with a girl like I’m friends with you, let alone adding sex into the mix.”

“Which is why it’s a bad idea.”

“No,” Oliver quickly shook his head. “That’s not what I’m saying. It’s a good idea.  _ Great  _ idea. I’ve enjoyed it...immensely.” 

Felicity rolled her eyes, “You mean that you’ve never fucked a friend you cared about before?”

Oliver bit his lip, squeezing her hand as he answered quietly, “Not like I care about you.”

Felicity stared up at him, trying to understand this thing between them. But it was complicated. It had been complicated since they met their sophomore year of college when Sara introduced them. There was something that was natural, and if she was being honest, sexual, that has been there since the beginning. They’d just been ignoring it and trying to stay strictly friends for the last three years.

Which worked.

It did.

He was right. She knew everything about him. Everything that mattered. And he knew her just as well. Yet...that still didn’t take away from the attraction she felt for him. And that he felt for her.

They should’ve known it was only a matter of time until they had to deal with it.

“Oliver,” she breathed. “I know that we have to talk about this. Since we’re  _ good friends _ , I don’t want to lose that. And this is starting to feel like we’re playing with fire.”

With a sigh, Oliver slid his hand up her back, his eyes darkening as he watched her shiver, as he saw the effect that he had on her body. “We’re not like our friends, Felicity. You and me are the same. We’re realists. We can be friends who care about each other, and we can be friends who screw each other senseless. I don’t see why we can’t have both.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, a little offended that he could see things so black and white. It  _ definitely  _ wasn’t that simple for her. She didn’t look at half of him and label it ‘friend,’ then look at the other half and label it ‘fuck buddy.’

“I’m sorry if I can’t compartmentalize things as effortlessly as you can.”

“Oh, come on, Felicity!” He chuckled, “We hate love. We suck at romance. We cringe at the idea of spending the rest of our lives with one person. And we’re incapable of commitment. We say it all the time! You’ve told me all of that plenty of times. That doesn’t just change because it’s  _ me  _ that you decide to sleep with...does it?”

Felicity shook her head, hissing back at him, “You’re twisting my words! I never said that I hate love, or that I never want to get married, or that I can’t commit to someone. Maybe I just haven’t found the right person yet.”

“Oh, please,” Oliver scoffed. “You’ve had at least three ‘Mr. Rights’ beg for your undying love since I’ve known you, and you wiggled your way out of those relationships as soon as it got serious. Every time. You push love away, just like I do.”

Frowning, Felicity took a step back from him. Oliver’s hand tightened for a moment, but then he let her go. “Is that really what you think of me?”

For some reason, that  _ hurt. _

And it hurt even worse to think that he thought of himself that way. Like they’re just two fucked up people who happened to get caught up in a moment or two. That the feelings would pass. Because they weren’t the kinds of people who could handle something serious.

Oliver’s eyebrows furrowed as he read the sadness in her eyes. He opened his mouth to answer, but then snapped it shut. Before he could find the words, the sound of a throat clearing behind him interrupted them.

Leaning around his shoulder, Felicity saw Nyssa’s sister, Talia; the one who asked her about Oliver and the one who he’d apparently been flirting with earlier. She offered a smile, her eyes on Oliver. “Mind if I cut in?”

Felicity crossed her arms, instantly feeling uncomfortable. They’d practically stopped dancing as their conversation grew serious, but it was still a bold move of her to ask.

Glancing up at Oliver, Felicity could tell that he was about to politely turn Talia down, so she quickly stepped away. “He’s all yours,” Felicity flashed a grin, letting it fall from her face as she tossed Oliver one final glare. 

She’d heard enough and he’s said enough, anyway.

And she didn’t really want to hear more about how he thought they were two emotionally unavailable people who decided to hook up with each other for convenience. In fact, she felt like an idiot for thinking that Oliver thought more of her than that. For thinking that he was just as confused as she was about the whole thing. About his feelings and what it all meant.

Of course, Oliver wasn’t lost like she was. He wasn’t pouring over every touch and every kiss, wondering if there was something more between them than they’d originally thought. 

He wasn’t aching for her. But she was aching for him.

That was her mistake.

They’d said that it was casual. So for him, it was casual.

_ End of story. _

Leaving Oliver to enjoy his new dance partner and probably his next lay, Felicity nudged her way through the crowd until she reached the doors that led to a wide balcony overlooking the lake. The air outside was refreshing, the breeze was chilly that blew in from the lake straight ahead of her. 

There were a few guests socializing near the Adirondack chairs on the porch. Felicity smiled politely at them as she passed, crossing her arms and making her way to the corner of the balcony where she could be alone. Hidden from the windows, she took a moment to herself, catching a few deep breaths.

And she stood there for a while, the sun sinking low over the water, casting the sky in a deep orange color that was so easy to stare at. 

She leaned against the railing, rubbing her hands against the goosebumps that rose on her skin as she tried to clear her head.

“Hey...You hiding?”

Glancing over her shoulder, Felicity noticed Oliver standing behind her. Apparently he knew what was good for him, since he approached cautiously, shuffling his feet. 

“Yeah,” she huffed back. “I guess I am.”

“From me?”

Ignoring the question, because unlike him, she wasn’t one for brutal honesty, Felicity changed the subject. “That was a quick dance. Hope you didn’t leave Talia feeling unsatisfied.”

Oliver shoved his hands in his pockets, moving to stand beside her. “I’m sorry for what I said earlier. You were right. I put that stuff on you because it was how I felt and I liked thinking that you felt the same way. It’s just...I’ve seen you hurting, Felicity. I’ve seen you cry over idiots who never deserved a single tear from you. And I guess it just made me think that you and I were on the same page when it comes to shit like commitment and marriage.”

She rolled her eyes, still offended, and still feeling defensive. But mostly, she was upset to realize that those few times they’d ended up in bed together meant more to her than it did to him.

“So for the first time in your life, you had sex with someone who you can actually tolerate outside of the bedroom? You realized that you like having sex with the same girl more than once? So what? You’re acting like that’s some huge step for you Oliver, and that’s pretty sad.”

_ Big fucking deal. _

“Okay,” Oliver nodded, giving her a timid smile. “I deserve that.”

She didn’t answer, keeping her eyes focused on the lake, directing her angry glare at the view instead of him.

“I sort of have an idea,” Oliver said, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. “You have to promise not to get mad. Well, more mad than you already are.”

She let out a sharp breath, crossing her arms tighter. 

Without a word, Oliver shrugged out of his jacket, stepping behind her and carefully putting it around her shoulders before he said anything else. “I think I want to try it,” he sighed. “The whole commitment thing.”

“Oh?” Felicity asked, feeling her heart sink. She tilted her face against her own shoulder, taking in a subtle, comforting breath of his cologne that lingered on his suit jacket. “Good for you. I’m sure the next girl to come along will appreciate the effort you put into  _ not  _ cheating on her, Oliver.”

He shook his head, “I don’t mean with the next girl that catches my eye, Felicity. I mean with you.”

She froze, blinking up at him.

_ He could not be serious. _

“You’re saying you want to...like, _ date  _ me?”

Oliver shifted on his feet, his hand reaching to scratch the back of his neck. “Well, I’m not sure I’m really comfortable with that term, but...I just—Felicity, you’re like, the only woman in my life that I could spend all my time with and never get tired of. Think of it more like, I don’t know, an experiment.”

She was shaking her head before he’d even finished speaking. “That sounds like a terrible idea.”

_ And a quick and easy way to get hurt. _

Being Oliver, he didn’t back down from the argument that quickly. “How about one month? We can go out, and hang out like we always do, just without seeing other people. We agree to only ‘date’ each other. I’ve never truly done the whole monogamous thing. But it actually might be kind of fun...with you.” He bumped his hip against hers, “Come on, you’re the one who said you don’t have anything against  _ romance. _ Let me see what all the fuss is about.”

“You’re insane,” she couldn’t help but laugh, feeling a bit flustered at the idea of it. Of  _ dating  _ Oliver Queen for a month. Acting like they were a couple for a month. Pretending. Because he wasn’t proposing that they  _ actually  _ give it a shot for the two of them. He was proposing that she be his trial run to see if he was ready for a real relationship.

It sounded like a recipe for disaster. “I’m not really interested in being the guinea pig in that  _ experiment _ , Oliver. Besides, I don’t think you’re capable of monogamy.”

“Ouch,” Oliver pressed his palm to his chest, feigning injury, but he smiled. “I mean, so what? That’s the point, right? We’d still be friends. You wouldn’t really be my girlfriend. So no drama if I slip up.”

Felicity cocked her head to the side, poking her finger into his chest, “Hell no. That’s not how this would go. If I  _ were  _ to agree to this, which I’m not, then you would have to commit to the commitment.  _ That’s  _ the point, right? So, if you ‘slip up,’ then I get to be pissed at you.” 

Oliver frowned, thinking about it, and clearly not liking the sound of it. “You know I hate when you’re mad at me.”

“I know,” Felicity smirked. “Doesn’t sound like such a fun experiment now, does it?”

“No, I still want to,” he shrugged, making her smug smile falter. “Why not? We’re already friends. We already have sex—”

“ _ Had _ sex,” Felicity corrected, pinning him with a glare. “Your little analysis of me took that right off the table.”

Oliver leaned in, grinning as he slowly brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face. “But you liked it when I fucked you  _ on  _ the table just the other night,” he whispered, his voice low. Seductive. “So should we really be taking  _ anything _ off the table?”

She closed her eyes, her lips parting as her breath caught in her throat. Felicity waited for him to close the distance, his words instantly sending a rush of heat to her core. The anticipation of his hot, hungry kiss was almost too much. But when it didn’t come, Felicity had to bite her lip to stop herself from whining.

“That wasn’t the last time I’ll be between your legs, Felicity. You know that.” He spoke with such certainty that it almost made her wish she could believe it. And the confidence behind his words, unapologetic of how much he wanted her, was definitely turning her on.

Keeping her teeth clenched, Felicity forced herself not to ask the question that popped into her head.

_ Do you promise? _

“We can’t keep this up forever, Oliver,” she sighed. “ The sex, the friendship, and the way we avoid the rest. We’re flirting with disaster.” Lifting her chin, she met his eyes. “So...I’ll do this on one condition,” she spoke slowly, certain that she knew exactly how to make him drop this subject entirely and forget about this stupid idea. “No sex.”

“No sex with other people?”

“No sex with  _ anyone _ , Oliver. If you want to  _ experiment  _ with commitment, then I’d like to see you try committing to chastity, too.”

He sighed, “So...you would agree to do this for a month, but only if I don’t have sex, not even with you?”

“Yep,” she smirked.

“What about you? You’d be allowed to have sex with other people?” he asked. Felicity shrugged, and Oliver shook his head, staring at her. “Well, that doesn’t seem fair.”

She scoffed, “Well, this was your idea, not mine.” Rolling her eyes at him, Felicity relented, knowing that he wouldn’t agree to this, anyway. He was only entertaining the conversation. “Fine, I wouldn’t sleep with anyone, either. Unlike you, I can handle not having sex for four weeks, Oliver.”

“Okay,” he narrowed his eyes at her. “Then we have a deal.”

“Oh, please,” she laughed.

Oliver continued to watch her, his expression the same. “You said we would do this if I agreed to those terms. I agreed. So that means we have a deal.” He smirked, “And I guess it means you have a new boyfriend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! Hopefully you think we're off to a good start ;)  
> Please let me know what you think in the comments!  
> Catch me on tumblr: @smoaking-greenarrow or twitter: @olicitysbett


	2. The List

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity hash out a few details of their arrangement.

They had a deal.

Before Felicity really knew what was happening, she and Oliver had a deal.

She had only been bluffing. She never thought that he would agree not to have sex for a month. And she couldn’t believe that she’d somehow managed to agree to _date_ him. Even if it wasn’t real, it was an awful plan. Actually, the idea of _fake_ dating Oliver sounded more terrifying than _real_ dating Oliver.

There was no way this wouldn’t end horribly. 

“So,” Alena stared at her from across the table, pulling Felicity from her thoughts. They were at Verdant, where they’d agreed to get drinks after work. 

“So...what?”

Alena sighed dramatically, dropping her straw back into her glass. “How is it going with Mr. Friends With Benefits? Did you guys hook up after Sara and Nyssa’s wedding?”

“No,” Felicity shook her head. “We actually decided that we would...stop doing that all together.”

Now that it had been a few days, it was hard to remember why she’d thought that cutting off the best sex of her life had been a good idea. 

Her friend’s eyes widened. “Wow. Just like that? I thought things were starting to get complicated there. Is that why you stopped?”

“Not exactly,” Felicity grumbled. “Apparently things weren’t as complicated for Oliver. He seems pretty unbothered by everything, actually. I just don’t think the lines are as clear for me as they are for him.”

“Well they shouldn’t be,” Alena assured her with a nod. “He’s an idiot if he thinks the two of you can maintain a friends with benefits type of relationship without either one; catching feelings, or two; ruining your friendship. Honestly, it’s probably a good idea to stop it before you guys got into something that neither of you are prepared for.”

Felicity bit her lip, swiping her finger over the water that dripped from the side of her drink. “Actually...he suggested something else.” Seeing her friend’s expectant look, Felicity groaned. “Oliver thinks that we should try to—uh, _commit_ , I guess? He wants us to date, on an experimental sort of basis. We’d treat it like a relationship, just without the risk of falling in love because we’re _friends_ . And because according to him, we’re _not_ the type of people who fall in love.”

Alena blinked, her face blank as she processed the words. Finally, she opened her mouth, “But...why?”

“He wants to know what it’s like, I guess...to be monogamous. He said we could try it out for a month. See what it’s like. See if either of us are ready for a real relationship.”

“So he wants you to be his practice girlfriend!? Please tell me you kicked him in the nuts for even suggesting something that ridiculous,” Alena gaped at her.

Felicity let her face fall into her hands, knowing that her friend had every right to be shocked. Not only did Felicity have a bad habit of ghosting the people she dated when things got serious, but Oliver was probably the only guy in her life who remained a constant.

And this would be risking that.

_Big time._

“Well, I added a clause that neither of us would have sex for the month because I thought Oliver would change his mind about the whole thing. But he still wants to do it.”

Alena looked a little worried as she watched her, “Felicity, this seems like the perfect storm to get your heart broken.”

Lifting her shoulder, Felicity just gave her a sad shrug. 

Yes, there was something deeper than friendship and deeper than sex happening between her and Oliver. Yes, she was terrified of finding out what that was. And yes, she was even more terrified that she would fall for him and that those feelings wouldn’t be reciprocated. But isn’t that what has been happening since they met, anyway? Steadily, she’d been developing feelings. Wouldn’t it be better to explore them now, before they got any deeper, and deal with the consequences? At least, it seemed like a better option than waking up one day when she’s in her forties and realizing that she’d been too much of a chicken to even try.

They had chemistry. Maybe it was as simple as that. Maybe they’d both come to the conclusion that it was nothing more than a mutual attraction and they’d laugh about it someday. Then they’d go on to have happy, healthy relationships with other people.

Yeah, that seemed like the most realistic option. Besides, she knew Oliver. Once he got an idea in his head...it was hard to convince him of anything else.

She could ride this out.

They’d do this ‘dating’ thing for a week, tops. Then Oliver would get tired of it. He’d want to have sex. And they’d forget about the silly plan entirely.

_They had to._

After another hour and three more drinks, the two girls were giggling over some office drama at Palmer Tech that Alena was filling Felicity in on, happily forgetting about Oliver and his crazy plan. 

That is, of course, until the man himself strolled up to their table, Tommy Merlyn right behind him.

“You’re late,” Felicity narrowed her eyes at each of them. 

Oliver just shrugged, pulling out the chair that was next to her and sitting down. Tommy took the seat straight across from her, his attention already on Alena. “Miss Whitlock,” he purred, “I didn’t realize I’d have the pleasure of seeing you here tonight.”

Alena rolled her eyes, familiar with Tommy’s flirtatious ways whenever they crossed paths. Alena and Felicity had met over a year ago when they both started working at Palmer Tech around the same time. And Tommy had been trying to charm Alena’s pants off for almost as long. 

“Will anyone else be joining us tonight?” Alena pouted, pressing the heel of her hand against Tommy’s forehead and literally shoving him away.

Tommy just grinned. “Aren’t you tired of playing hard to get?”

“Aren’t you tired of getting rejected?” She snarked back. Then she turned her big, puppy-dog eyes to Felicity. “Don’t tell me that you roped me into a night with these two.”

“Sorry,” Felicity raised her hands innocently.

“Aw, Fel!” Her friend groaned, dropping her head. Felicity rolled her eyes at the nickname, which she hated so much that no one was allowed to use it besides Alena. And the only reason Alena was allowed to call her Fel was because unlike the rest of her friends, she didn’t care when Felicity nagged at her to stop. “I need another drink.”

Before Alena could even ask, Tommy was hopping up from the table, “I’ll help you.”

As their friends left, Oliver shifted closer to Felicity, his eyes meeting hers evenly. “You still haven’t given me a date.”

Felicity huffed out a laugh, “You’re still not giving up on this, huh?”

“Nope,” Oliver grinned, reaching over to grab her drink and finish the rest of it. Knowing that she was already a little buzzed and that Alena would bring her another one anyway, she didn’t really mind. “Are you scared or something, Felicity?”

“Scared?” She scoffed, brushing it off. “No, of course not.”

He raised an eyebrow, his face still very close to hers. And his eyes were _so_ blue. “Well, I said that our deal would last one month. You’re supposed to tell me when that month starts. You haven’t.”

Felicity laughed, seeing his eagerness. “What are you in such a hurry for? I was just trying to give you some time to get all that meaningless sex with strangers out of your system before the month starts. I thought you’d be enjoying your freedom while it lasts.”

Oliver clenched his jaw, his eyes never wavering from hers. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

She licked her lips, glancing away and wishing that Alena and Tommy would come back. Just to buy her some time. Oliver was really putting her on the spot about this. He was being persistent. And it was kind of sweet that he was so eager to start their little ‘experiment,’ she just wasn’t entirely sure why he was refusing to let it go. When she dodged the subject, he didn’t laugh it off like he usually would. He pushed.

But he was also dead right. 

She was scared.

“Fine,” Felicity shrugged, hoping that she wasn’t letting it show. “We’ll start tomorrow.”

“Really?”

Felicity leveled him with a look, “What? Now you’re having second thoughts?”

Raising his hands in surrender, Oliver shook his head. “No. I’m all in. I’ve taken what you said at the wedding seriously. And I’ll take the commitment seriously. I promise. If I fuck up, you’ll have every right to be pissed at me. I know this whole idea seems strange, but I’m going to treat it like it’s real, and I would never want to hurt you for real.”

The way he said the words made her heart beat faster. The way he looked at her gave her butterflies. “Okay, Oliver…” Felicity mumbled, forcing herself to pull her eyes away from his.

“So,” he cleared his throat. “I think tonight, we should make a list.”

Her eyes swung back to him as she fidgeted in her chair. “A list?”

Oliver shrugged, “Yeah. I mean, we could ‘date’ for a whole month and barely see each other, right? I think we should come up with some things that we can do together. Things we would want to do if we were in a real relationship.”

Felicity furrowed her eyebrows, assessing him. She half expected him to burst out laughing and say that he was just messing with her. “Things,” she repeated. “Like what? I already told you—”

“I’m not talking about sex, Felicity.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, “Well, I know you’re always _thinking_ about sex. So what are you talking about then?”

Oliver let out a breath, “I don’t know...like, I’ve always wanted to go on a road trip with someone. You know, just drive somewhere new and spend the day exploring.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Felicity allowed that.

It didn’t sound terrible.

“What else?”

Oliver smiled, tipping his head as Tommy and Alena made their way back to the table, each of their hands filled with drinks. “Come hang out at the loft when we’re done here. We can discuss the terms.”

Felicity rolled her eyes, wondering how he was so formal and serious about this arrangement when the guy she knew was anything but. They’d become friends so quickly because Oliver was outgoing and laid-back. And they’d become fuck buddies because he never took anything too seriously. He followed whatever desire he pleased. Not that that choice was all on him, of course. She’d been a very willing participant. It was just odd to see him so focused, that’s all.

Like a dog with a bone, he wasn’t giving this up. And bizarrely, it was a new side of him. 

Felicity felt more like they were discussing some kind of contract rather than a relationship. And that didn’t make her feel as excited about going back to his place as she’d been a few times before.

They spent the next few hours talking and laughing with their friends, putting the conversation on the back burner. The tension settled down once the boys had a few drinks, and once Tommy gave up on persuading Alena to sleep with him. Instead, he turned his attention to a red head in a short dress. As the night went on, Alena started to yawn and Tommy started dropping hints that he wanted the red head to come home with him. 

Eventually, Oliver leaned in close again, mumbling in her ear, “Ready to go?”

He left his keys with Tommy, wanting to make sure his friend wouldn’t be stranded. And then he drove Felicity’s car to Alena’s apartment, dropping her off before they headed for his. Felicity could see the looks that Alena was throwing her in the rearview mirror, and she knew her friend was going to bombard her with questions tomorrow. But for tonight, she kept her lips shut.

As Oliver pulled up in front of his apartment building, he handed Felicity his key. “Go on up, I’ll park in the garage and be right in.”

She nodded, hopping out of the car and heading straight inside, goosebumps rising on her bare legs as she walked the short distance to the door. Felicity did as he’d said, using the key to let herself into the private elevator that went right up to the penthouse. She sighed as the doors opened, revealing the spacious, warm, homey space that she’d become so comfortable in.

Before the elevator doors had even closed, Oliver’s cat was under her feet, meowing as he weaved around her ankles. “Hi Bigfoot,” Felicity bent down to pick him up, her thumb rubbing between his eyes. She carried him into the kitchen, kissing his head as she cooed, “Oh, hi handsome. You’re so handsome, yes you are. How’s my favorite boy today?”

Flicking the lights on above the countertop, Felicity found Bigfoot’s bag of treats, hearing him purr as he nudged his head under her chin. She took a couple of them out, setting him back on the floor and giving him both treats at once. 

They were gone in seconds, and Felicity couldn’t help but laugh as she picked the big cat back up.

Oliver came out of the elevator a few moments later, snorting when he saw her. “You know he only likes you because you give him treats every time you come over.”

Felicity pouted, her fingers scratching Bigfoot’s neck. “That’s not true.” She knew that Oliver was just jealous. He’d gotten the cat shortly after she moved to Starling, and she remembered the first time she went to the penthouse, he’d warned her about his new cat. Named Bigfoot. Because he had two extra toes on one paw and was rarely ever seen. Oliver had said that the cat liked to sneak around the house, stow away under the couch especially, and swat at people’s feet as they walked by.

So it surprised them both that the more time Felicity started spending at the loft, the more Bigfoot started to come out of his hiding places.

“All right,” she finally sighed, wanting to get on with this whole list thing he’d been talking about. “I guess we should make the rules for this fake relationship before I completely lose my buzz.”

In response, Oliver held up a finger, backing out of the kitchen. She followed him into the living room area, settling onto the couch with Bigfoot as Oliver jogged up the stairs. A moment later, he returned, holding a pen and a notebook. “Okay,” he breathed, sitting down beside her. “I’ll start.”

He put the pen to paper, slowly writing something, and Felicity leaned in to peer over his shoulder. “Cooking?” She asked, reading the single word he’d written.

“Yeah,” Oliver shrugged, “As in, I cook for you.”

“You’ve cooked for me before,” she countered.

Oliver gave her a look, “Yes, but I’m not talking about making you scrambled eggs and french toast because you feel like having breakfast for dinner. I want to buy ingredients, cook a real meal for you, and eat it together. The whole thing.”

At that, Felicity sucked in a breath.

This was going to be even harder than she imagined if he kept talking like that. 

Taking the notebook and pen from his hand, she added her own two cents to the first thing on the list. Next to his sharp, quick letters, her handwriting was large and bouncy, the contrast almost comical. She set the notebook back on his lap and Oliver chuckled as he read her addition out loud; “Only if Oliver can promise that Felicity won’t get food poisoning.”

He handed the notebook back to her, indicating that it was her turn to come up with an idea. She bit her lip as she thought about it, then wrote: _Cuddling (clothes on)_

Oliver smirked, shaking his head as he read it. “This is going to be a lot of firsts. Can’t say I’ve ever done that before.” Then he sighed, chewing on the end of the pen as he considered what else he thought they should try doing during their month of dating. “Okay,” he took the pen out of his mouth and turned his head to look at her. “Well, I’ve never just taken a girl out on a date. You know, picking her up, going out to dinner, dropping her off. Kissing her goodnight.” 

Felicity’s heart clenched in her chest at the idea of him doing that with her. At the idea of him _wanting_ to do that with her.

_Yep. This next month was going to be the death of her._

“I mean,” Oliver continued, “I have...aside from the last part. I’ve never had a date like that without spending the night with the girl. But since you already banned me from getting in your pants, I’d like to try the whole goodnight kiss thing.” 

_And there was the asshole she knew and loved._

Oliver’s lips twitched with a smile, reading her tiny huff of irritation perfectly as he scrawled the words _Goodnight Kiss_ onto the list.

“You’re disgusting, you know that?” Felicity reached over Bigfoot to grab a pillow, tossing it in Oliver’s direction.

“I’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to kiss a girl goodnight after a date,” he mumbled, his voice more serious than she’d been expecting. “You know, just a kiss? And I know that as long as I don’t act like a jerk, you and I could have a really nice date. And a really nice kiss.” 

He scribbled along the side of the paper as he spoke, not meeting her eyes. Like he was confessing a secret that he was embarrassed about.

Felicity smiled. “Wow. Oliver...that’s actually pretty sweet.” She started to write down her addendum to his request, which most of the items on the list seemed to have, a mix of each of their handwriting. 

“‘Date included,’” Oliver nodded, reading the words she’d tacked on. “So, kissing is allowed then?” 

Felicity shrugged, “In this case, yes. I don’t see the point in us making out just for the hell of it. But I think I can agree to a simple goodnight kiss. Especially if it includes a free dinner beforehand. You know, for the process of this whole experiment thing.”

“For the process,” he answered softly, his eyes combing over her face.

Clearing her throat, Felicity brought his attention back to the list. “Anyway, what about your road trip idea? Where should we go?”

“How about we just pick a Saturday that we’re both free and we drive, see where the road takes us.” Oliver suggested, making her grin. For someone who had never been in a serious relationship and who prided himself on noncommitment, the guy sure did have some romantic ideas. He took the pen back from her to write it: _Day Trip._

They continued to talk well into the night, discussing the list until they’d narrowed down their thoughts. Oliver had tried to sneak in a few R-rated ideas, like letting him finger her in a public place, but Felicity promptly scolded him and crossed it off the paper. By the end of it, they had ten things on their list.

Ten wasn’t bad. 

Most of the items on the list were things that they could do in a single day. Most of them were small things. And they had a whole month. Felicity nodded to herself as she read over the list. She could do this. It wasn’t like she had to spend the month glued to his hip until she inevitably fell in love with him. _If_ Oliver even lasted the entire month, she just had to embrace a few romantic, cheesy date ideas.

And then this would be over. 

They would go back to being friends. Oliver would probably decide that having a ‘girlfriend’ had been tortuous and he’d never subject himself to a real one. Or he’d realize that it wasn’t as bad as he thought, and he’d try dating someone who he could actually see himself being with.

But that person wasn’t her.

And that was the part that she knew she just had to accept.

Felicity sighed, leaning back against the couch and dropping the list onto the cushion between them. As if he knew that they were finished with all the debating and plan-making, Bigfoot climbed onto her lap and laid down. His loud purring filled the room as Felicity scratched behind his ear. “I should probably be getting home.”

“Stay,” Oliver whispered, resting his arm on the back of the couch. “I’m sure Bigfoot would appreciate your company in the guest bedroom.”

She turned her head, checking the clock on the stove in the kitchen. “It’s not 11:00 yet. If you can make it quick, you still have time to find a girl in your contacts who lives close by. I’m serious about the no sex thing. Starting tomorrow, we’re celibate. So if you want a booty-call, this is your last chance.”

She swallowed roughly, imagining that if she stayed the night, she’d be lying alone in his guest bedroom when that happened. And there were certain things she _never_ wanted to hear.

Oliver raised his eyebrows, his hand sliding to her shoulder where he slowly brushed her hair behind her back, his fingers warm and gentle. “Then why don’t _you_ just come upstairs with me…”

Felicity bit her lip, considering that option. She would certainly miss sex for the next four weeks. And she didn’t have a phone full of random men that she could call and invite to her apartment for the night. Screwing Oliver one more time, potentially for the last time, was definitely an appealing idea. Although, it could make tomorrow even more complicated than it was already going to be.

“You don’t think that would make this next month sort of hard?”

“I’m sure that it will,” he looked into her eyes. “But denying ourselves of this pleasure is going to be hard anyway. I don’t want to have meaningless sex tonight. I want you.”

His voice was low, the heat in his eyes and in his tone was clear. And for a brief moment, Felicity let herself think that he truly meant what it sounded like he meant. That it wasn’t just about the _really good_ sex they shared. She let herself believe that the desire burning in the air between them, a palpable thing, was about _her._ She let herself dream it.

And then she let herself burn along with it.

Unwilling to think twice, knowing that they were already heading into dangerous territory with this little agreement they’d come to, Felicity closed the space between them, her mouth searing to Oliver’s.

He kissed her back, his lips instantly parting hers to deepen it. 

His tongue slid into her mouth, his teeth grazing her bottom lip. Felicity gasped as he sucked on the spot, her head getting hazy. 

They were both breathless already. The spark between them was intense. Powerful. Which was exactly what made them cross the line in the first place, like their connection was an unstoppable force that they couldn’t fight. Once they’d had sex for the first time, on the floor of her apartment three months ago, it was impossible to stop. 

The world didn’t end. Things were off between them for a few days, but their friendship survived it. And then they’d kept doing it.

_Sex_ was never really the problem.

Felicity wasn’t nearly as nervous about sleeping with Oliver as she was about _dating_ him. 

Feelings, and romance, and commitment.

That was all so complicated.

But his hands in her hair? His mouth leaving marks on her neck?

That was easy.

That felt good.

“Upstairs,” Felicity moaned. 

The decision was made as soon as she kissed him. Actually, it had been made as soon as she agreed to come to the penthouse. Because somewhere deep down, she knew exactly where it would lead. They both knew. And they both wanted it.

So what was the harm?

Tomorrow would be when the real trouble began, anyway.

Oliver groaned his approval, standing up from the couch and pulling Felicity to her feet. Luckily, Bigfoot got the picture and jumped down from her lap. Staring back at her, ignoring the meows for attention, Oliver picked Felicity up, her legs wrapping around his waist. He started moving to the stairs, walking slowly and keeping his eyes locked on hers the whole way. The cat circled their feet, and Felicity couldn’t help but chuckle as Oliver managed to avoid tripping over the poor little guy.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, Bigfoot sauntered into the guest bedroom that he’d claimed as his own, or to share with Felicity when she used to spend the night. Of course, the last few times she stayed at the penthouse, it was Oliver’s bed that she’d wake up in. 

Apparently tonight would be no different.

He carried her into his bedroom, turning to lay her down on the bed. He didn’t bother turning the lights on, leaving the door open to give them just enough light to see each other. Then he made quick work of undressing her, dropping her clothes on the floor. And Felicity reacted accordingly, pulling his pants and shirt off. She tossed them in the general direction that her own clothes had gone.

Settling into his bed, leaning against the pillows, Felicity welcomed Oliver’s weight as he climbed on top of her. She could feel his erection against her thigh as she squirmed beneath him.

Oliver held himself above her on one elbow, his other hand reaching between her legs. He growled when he felt how wet she was, his fingers spreading her open.

His thumb rubbed back and forth against her clit while his index finger swirled around her entrance. With his eyes on her face, he slipped one finger inside of her. 

Pushing in, pulling out, pushing in again. 

Oliver kept the same pace, and in a matter of minutes, Felicity was writhing. 

The friction wasn’t quite enough to get her off, but it was certainly enough to turn her into a whining, desperate mess. “More,” she begged. “Oliver, please. _More_.”

Silently, his hand disappeared. She almost cried out in torment, but then she felt his thick length press against her sex, his hips rocking. “Yes!” Felicity spread her legs wider, her hands landing on his ass as she pulled him closer.

A moment later, he was pushing inside her. Oliver sighed, his face smoothing as his eyes slipped shut, as if being inside of her was exactly the relief he needed. And Felicity keened, her back arching off the bed to meet him. He gently rocked into her, shallow thrusts, letting her adjust to his size like he always did.

Felicity urged him on, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip and her nails sinking into his flesh. 

“Oh,” he let out a long, satisfied groan as her walls pulsed around him. “Felicity…”

His forehead pressed against hers. And then he started to move.

It was slow at first, building towards an orgasm that would truly be worth the next few weeks without _this._

_Seriously, whose stupid idea was that?_

Felicity cried out when Oliver sped up his pace; his hips moving faster, ramming into her harder. It didn’t take long for her to feel a familiar numbness in her legs, her toes instinctively curling.

Oliver buried his face in her throat as she came with a shout, her fingers gripping into his hair and her legs tightening around him. She was still coming when she heard Oliver’s breathy grunts in her ear. He drove into her once, twice, and a third time before he followed her over the edge. 

“Oh god! Felicity! _Felicity!”_

She _loved_ when he screamed her name like that. 

His hips continued to jerk as he came inside her, his hands gripping her waist, pinning her to the bed.

She _loved_ the complete satisfaction she could bring him. Loved that he never held back.

It was sexy as all hell. And Oliver knew that she loved it.

His breath was heavy and uneven on her neck as they each came down from the high, a light layer of sweat on their skin. He kissed her throat, pulling out of her slowly while they both winced. “You sure you want us to deny ourselves of _that_ for an entire month?” He asked, his voice teasing. 

She could feel the smile on his lips as he continued to leave a trail of kisses up to her jaw. But the question made her suddenly feel anxious. Her arms tightened around him, holding him closer.

No, she wasn’t sure.

She wasn’t sure she could deny herself. She wasn’t sure she would be okay with however this whole mess would end.

She wasn’t really sure of anything anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I hope you liked this chapter. And I hope Bigfoot is as adorable in all of your imaginations as he is in mine!  
> Let me know what you think the comments :)
> 
> Tumblr: smoaking-greenarrow  
> Twitter: olicitysbett


	3. Cooking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #1: Cooking (Only if you can promise that I won't get food poisoning -Felicity)
> 
> As Oliver and Felicity tackle the first venture on their list, they end up opening a few doors to the past that neither of them expected.

The next day, after a quick breakfast and a cup of coffee at Oliver’s, Felicity went back to her own apartment. She always hated when she wasn’t prepared for a sleepover at his place. She also hated the walk to the parking garage down the street because it felt like a walk of shame. Because she somehow managed to bump into his neighbor every time, politely waving at the older woman as she walked her dog. And the woman would always look her up and down with judgement in her eyes as if she knew every dirty thing Felicity had done the night before.

With a sigh, she prepared for the interaction when she saw the woman with her dog, standing on the sidewalk and waiting for the little guy to do his business. Felicity crossed her arms over her chest, as if that did anything to hide her rumpled clothes she’d worn the day before.

She waved. Dog Lady glared. And then she went on her way.

When Felicity got back to her apartment, she showered and made herself more coffee, and then she sat at her small kitchen table and decided to get some work done. She spent hours looking over concept ideas from the engineers, approving project proposals from their team of inventors, and texting back and forth with Alena about which products were the most realistic and affordable.

In truth, she loved her job. She loved being on the developmental technology team at Palmer Tech. And she knew she was lucky that she got to do work she genuinely enjoyed and that made her feel proud.

It made the weekdays go by so much faster than the days she’d spent at Tech Village.

She even loved the work enough that she could dedicate a Saturday to it without being resentful. 

Sometimes when Felicity really got in the zone, like she did that afternoon while discussing the possibility of an implantable chip that could help regenerate dead cells with Alena and one of their co-workers, Curtis Holt, she could forget about everything else. It was only when she stood up from her couch and felt all the blood rush to her head that she realized the piece of toast and four cups of coffee she’d consumed weren’t enough to sustain her through the whole day.

“Felicity, I just don’t think it’s something Mr. Palmer would go for. The guy is known for fancy watches and a mirror that doubles as a fitness coach,” Curtis pointed out. “I mean, he’s charitable. But we’re not exactly leading the charge in cutting edge technology for the medical field.”

Making her way into the kitchen, Felicity sighed. “Yeah, I know,” she put their conference call on speaker so she could climb onto the counter and grab a box of granola bars. “But that doesn’t mean we _couldn’t_ be.”

As much as she loved her job, she couldn’t help but feel like there was so much more good they could be doing for the world. Fancy watches and fitness mirrors were awesome. And she was beyond proud for the role she’d played in those inventions. But they were gadgets. Not exactly life changing or ground breaking. She just thought that between all the brilliant minds at Palmer Tech, they truly had the talent there to do something more meaningful.

Per usual, Curtis had to voice all the problems with the idea, beginning and ending with the fact that they didn’t have nearly enough resources for something so ambitious. Felicity insisted that the money was just a matter of time, so there was no harm in dreaming. And Alena listened to the debate halfheartedly, playing the middle as always.

It was how the three of them spent most of their workdays.

By the time they hung up, it was almost 5:00, and Felicity frowned when she saw that Oliver hadn’t texted her. Plugging her phone in by her bed, she laid down and opted to call him instead.

“Hey,” he answered quickly.

“Hi,” Felicity settled against her pillows. “You know, as the new guy I’m fake dating, you’re not supposed to fuck me and then _not_ call the next day.”

Oliver huffed out a laugh, “To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t really sure how this was all supposed to go.”

“Isn’t that why we made a list?” Felicity countered. When he didn’t answer, she started to get a little nervous. And she hated the instant disappointment that she felt at the thought that he might have changed his mind. She was supposed to _want_ him to change his mind. But after coming up with all those ideas the night before, and having sex, Felicity realized that she’d let herself get excited about it. “Do you think it’s a bad idea for us to be doing this?”

“No,” Oliver replied confidently. “I’m still in. I want to. I’m all for you being my fake girlfriend for the next month. I just...I’m not really sure where to start.”

Felicity smiled, “Well, I’m starving. So maybe we should start with that plan for you to cook me dinner.”

Oliver hummed, thinking it over, but Felicity already knew what his answer would be. “Okay, I’ll pick you up in twenty minutes.”

After getting off the phone with Oliver, Felicity freshened up; brushing her hair, changing into a pair of black jeans and a simple, purple blouse that had a low cut and flared out at the bottom.

She put a little bit of makeup on to kill the time while she waited, knowing it was going to be a relaxed kind of night and she didn’t need to put too much effort into her appearance.

_He’d seen her under worse circumstances._

It was just her and Oliver. Eating. Hanging out at his apartment. Maybe they’d watch a movie.

It wouldn’t be anything they haven’t done before.

_Then why did she feel so nervous?_

Felicity took a deep breath, dropping her mascara back into her makeup bag. She was just putting a pair of flats on her feet when she heard Oliver knocking.

As soon as she opened the door, she pushed on his chest, following him outside and locking up behind her. “Well, hello to you too,” Oliver greeted.

“I told you I’m starving,” Felicity grumbled back, heading for his car. 

They chatted about their day and what Oliver planned to make for dinner, falling into the comfortable groove of the friendship that had gotten them this far. 

It seemed so normal, so _platonic,_ compared to the way they’d ripped each other’s clothes off the night before. 

For them, it was one or the other. Comfortable friendship or overwhelming lust. They had yet to find a middle ground between bickering and going at it like bunnies.

So...despite her fears, Felicity was really curious to see what this little ‘dating’ experiment would bring. Maybe that’s why she even considered going along with this. Maybe she just needed to know if there _was_ a middle ground. And maybe this was the only way that the two of them knew how to find it.

He turned down the wrong street, going in the opposite direction of his apartment, and Felicity frowned, “Where are we going?”

“The grocery store,” Oliver replied. “I have a few things I need to get to make dinner.”

She shrugged, remaining silent as he pulled into the parking lot and found a spot. 

As they walked into the store, Oliver surprised her by taking her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. Felicity’s eyes darted up to his in question.

And yet, it felt nice. Especially when he smiled at her, “I heard that people who are dating do this sometimes. Just thought I’d try it out.”

Felicity snorted, “I don’t remember putting ‘hand holding’ on our list.”

Oliver just shrugged, his thumb running back and forth across her wrist. “No, it’s not on the list. I don’t hate it, though.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Taking a basket from the pile by the front door, Felicity let Oliver lead the way, watching him when he walked over to the vegetables to find what he needed.

He carefully picked out everything; taking his time as he let go of her hand to analyze the produce, and then he’d reach for her again after putting it into the basket she carried. It almost seemed like he was doing it absently, reaching for her. Like his mind somewhere else as they moved down the rows of the store. 

When he was finished, Felicity dragged him towards the snack aisle. 

She quickly pulled down a box of cookies, groaning and already planning to crack them open in the car on the way to the loft.

Oliver gave her a disappointed look, “You don’t need backup junk food, Felicity. I told you my cooking is edible. I promised not to give you food poisoning when we made the list, didn’t I?”

Felicity scoffed at him, “Oliver, please. This isn’t in case of a kitchen emergency. Consider this pregaming. Because I’m so hungry right now, I could eat you.”

He raised an eyebrow.

Felicity’s mouth fell open as her own words registered in her brain. “I didn’t mean _that_ kind of—” her eyes subconsciously flickered down his body. She swallowed, “I meant eat you, like, like in a cannibal sort of way. Because I’m starving.”

Oliver continued to stare at her. “That doesn’t make it better, Felicity.”

“Right.”

“You forgot to eat today, didn’t you? Again.”

She rolled her eyes, and tried to lie, not wanting another lecture from him. “No, of course not. I ate.” He gave her a look that told her he wasn’t buying it for even a moment. “Fine,” Felicity sighed. “Yeah, I forgot. I was busy with work all day. And I told you, I’m starving!”

Shaking his head, Oliver reached for the box of cookies, but Felicity quickly pulled them away. “Felicity,” he sighed. “I have cookies at my apartment, you don’t need these.”

“No, trust me, I do. I need these. Those organic cardboard things that you buy? They’re gross.”

Rather than trying to take the box from her again, Oliver grabbed her waist, pulling her against his chest. “Oh, they’re gross, huh?” He chuckled, his fingers tickling her sides.

Felicity squirmed, struggling to get away without dropping everything in her arms. “Oliver! Stop it!” She pleaded through her giggles, trying not to make a scene.

“Excuse me…”

Felicity and Oliver both stopped, turning around to see an older man waiting behind them. He smiled politely, gesturing his hand to indicate that he just wanted to get by. Oliver quickly stepped aside, guiding Felicity out of the way, too.

“Sorry,” Felicity pinched her lips together, her face growing red. “Excuse us, sir.”

The man just laughed, “Oh, don’t worry about it, kids. I remember being young and in love once. You two make a cute couple.”

Felicity felt her face turning a deeper shade of red. But Oliver grinned at the man, unfazed as he wrapped his arm around Felicity and nodded. “Well, thank you. My girlfriend’s quite the catch.”

Nudging her elbow into his stomach, she kept her mouth shut until the man was gone. She raised an eyebrow in question. And Oliver smirked, giving her nothing more than a shrug in response. Then he took her hand again, leading them towards the registers like it wasn’t a big deal. 

And it wasn’t.

He was obviously teasing. But that didn’t help Felicity’s heart recover any faster from hearing Oliver refer to her as his girlfriend. Saying it out loud, to another person, as if it was real.

With a sigh, she pushed the thoughts from her mind, following Oliver through the store until she noticed the wine aisle and made a sharp turn, yanking him with her.

“Oh, good idea,” Oliver followed willingly this time. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he perused the selection. “I could use a nice white for the sauce.”

Felicity openly gaped at him. Not that he seemed to notice. His attention was on the wine. “Who are you?” she mumbled under her breath as she grabbed the closest bottle she could reach, prepared to drink the whole thing herself by the end of the night if Oliver didn’t start acting like himself again. 

He wasn’t a ‘let me just mosey around the grocery store’ kind of guy. He wasn’t a ‘I need to find the perfect wine to use in the sauce I plan on cooking’ kind of guy. And he certainly wasn’t a _hand holding_ or a _telling random strangers about his girlfriend_ kind of guy.

It just surprised her.

But even more mind boggling was how at ease Oliver seemed about all of it. Sure, this had all been his idea, but Felicity expected him to hate it. Or at least feel as weird about it as she did. Yet, he was acting as if grocery shopping was something that they did together regularly.

And it felt _domestic._

Felicity’s eyes flickered away from him, focusing on the only other person in the aisle just to keep from staring at Oliver like he was some sort of robot look-alike instead of her friend. 

The woman that caught her eye was farther down the aisle. Felicity watched as she picked up a bottle of red, put it into her cart, then grabbed another and put that in as well.

She looked vaguely familiar, but Felicity couldn’t place her face. 

As if feeling eyes on her, the woman turned and made eye contact, and Felicity instantly felt her breath catch as she suddenly recognized her.

Laurel Lance.

Sara’s distant cousin who avoided Oliver like he was the plague, to the point that Felicity had never crossed paths with her. She never came to visit Boston while they were in school. Never came out with them once they all wound up in Starling. Laurel hadn’t even attended Sara’s _wedding_ because she knew that Oliver would be there as Sara’s best man.

Because Laurel also happened to be Oliver’s ex-girlfriend from high school. And from what Felicity gathered, she hated his guts.

_Oh boy._

Felicity quickly pulled her hand out of Oliver’s grasp, making him look down at her in confusion, his expression slightly hurt as he met her wide eyes. Just as he opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, he noticed Laurel, and his lips snapped shut.

He stood there frozen for a moment, staring at his ex while Felicity watched him for a reaction. She’d only seen Laurel Lance in old pictures that Oliver and Sara had shown her from their teenage years. And Oliver had always seemed content next to her. Gorgeous Laurel. Although, their history had been anything but content.

Straightening her back, Laurel approached them, her eyes bouncing between him and Felicity. “Oliver,” she forced a smile.

“Laurel. H–hey,” he floundered for a moment, clearly surprised that she was even speaking to him. “How have you been?”

“Good,” she nodded politely. “Just getting some wine for girls night. How are you?”

“I’m good,” he huffed. A long, awkward moment passed as the two floundered, neither of them seeming to know what to say next. 

So Felicity held her hand out, “Hi, I’m Felicity.”

“Felicity,” Laurel cocked her head to the side. “You’re friends with Sara too, right?”

“I am.”

Laurel’s eyes looked her up and down, sizing her up. And even though it was subtle, Felicity could feel the tension, like she was being gauged and compared. Instantly, it took her back to her own high school days. And instantly, she got the feeling that Laurel didn’t like her.

“And you’re Ollie’s…” she let the suggestion hang, obvious, waiting for one of them to fill in the blank.

“Friend,” Oliver quickly supplied, flashing a smile. “This is my best friend, Felicity.”

If hearing Oliver call her his girlfriend just a few moments ago to that stranger had made her feel flattered and breathless, then hearing him clarify now, for his ex-girlfriend, that they were only friends had the opposite effect.

“Right,” Laurel’s eyes continued to evaluate them, the look on her face still guarded. Cautious. “Well, I should get going. It was good to see you, Ollie.”

“Good to see you too…”

The undeniable awareness of being a third wheel made Felicity feel uncomfortable. And it was about one thousand times worse than seeing Oliver flirt with random women at a bar. This wasn’t a stranger. And this seemed different.

“And Felicity,” Laurel managed to pull her eyes away from Oliver, “it was nice to meet you.”

Felicity forced a smile, not wanting her, or god forbid Oliver, to see how much the moment was bothering her. “Of course, you too.”

She waved awkwardly as the other woman walked away, her high heels clicking on the tile. Felicity felt certain that if Oliver stopped her to ask for her number, or a date, or a second chance, Laurel Lance would probably say yes. The slow steps of her retreat told her that she might even be waiting for it.

_So much for hating his guts._

To his credit, Oliver didn’t linger on his ex-girlfriend; not paying attention to her long legs or noticing the way she was swaying her hips with each step. As soon as the woman turned around, he looked down at Felicity and raised his eyebrows. 

“Come on,” he mumbled, grabbing a bottle of white wine from the shelf as Laurel disappeared around the corner.

Turning on her heel, Felicity crossed her arms and headed for the registers, which was luckily in the opposite direction that Laurel Lance had gone. She didn’t say a word while they paid for the groceries, each of them taking a few bags. She wasn’t really sure what to say.

Oliver hadn’t done anything wrong. It’s not like she could be mad at him for _not_ lying to his ex about their fake relationship like he’d lied to that stranger who caught him tickling her.

After putting the bags into the backseat, Felicity got back into the car, feeling Oliver’s eyes on her as they left the store and headed towards his apartment. “So,” she looked back at him, knowing that if she didn’t break the silence, it wouldn’t take him long to start pestering her about what was wrong. “The infamous Laurel Lance returns.”

He gave her a wary glance, “Infamous...how, exactly?”

“Oh, please,” Felicity scoffed. “I remember Sara telling me that you guys used to date. You were blushing and you got all tongue tied. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like that.”

“Well,” Oliver quipped, “that’s because it’s not very often that I come across people who despise me the way that Laurel despises me.”

“You were like a school boy trying to talk to his crush for the first time,” Felicity shot back. Oliver huffed in annoyance at that, narrowing his eyes at her. But Felicity just shrugged, giving him a passive roll of her eyes. “Not that I blame you...I mean, she’s beautiful. I just didn’t peg you as the type to be so hung up on an old flame, you know? I guess it would explain why you hate love and everything about relationships, though. It must have ended pretty bad, considering how she avoids you now. Well, up until today that is. I’m pretty sure she would have agreed to just about anything you asked back there. It didn’t seem like she hates you nearly as much as you and Sara made it seem.”

“I was not nervous,” Oliver cut off her rambling. “And I am not hung up on Laurel.”

“Then what was all of that about?”

Oliver frowned at the question, his eyes flickering from the road to her. “Look, we’ve talked about it and you know I didn’t treat her right. I cheated on her constantly, but the thing about Laurel...she never took it out on me. She would find out who I’d been with and make that girl’s life a living hell. I went to this girl’s house one night for a party; Suzie Pray. The cops busted it and Suzie got sent to a boarding school when her parents found out. Apparently, someone told Laurel that I was there to hook up with Suzie. She’s the one who called the cops because she knew Suzie would get in a lot of trouble. That was mostly the reason that I finally ended things with her.”

“Okay…” Felicity’s eyebrows furrowed as she absorbed the story. She hadn’t heard much about Laurel or Oliver’s history with her. It was all in the past by the time they met in college. But she _did_ know that his relationship with Sara’s cousin was a brief, very loose interpretation of the term ‘dating,’ considering all the lying and cheating Oliver did. But if he disliked Laurel so much, then his behavior in the store didn’t really add up. “So why were you acting so weird back there? It seemed like you wanted her to know you’re single. Which, need I remind you, per our agreement, you’re technically not.”

“I saw the way she was looking at you, Felicity. She was like a shark smelling for blood.”

Felicity scoffed, “First of all, I think that’s a little dramatic, you’ve changed a lot and I’m sure Laurel has too. Did I get the whole catty-girl-vibe from her? Hell yeah. But Oliver, it’s been a decade since high school and you’re not her two-timing boyfriend anymore. And second of all, I can take care of myself.”

He sighed as she finished, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. “I know you can,” his voice was soft as he turned to look at her. “You’re right. I just didn’t want her to treat you like that and in the moment it seemed best to avoid it. Besides, we haven’t really talked about what we’re going to tell our friends about this arrangement. I assume you’ve talked to Alena. But Laurel could say something to Sara, and I...I don’t know how you’d feel about that? Explaining this to her? That’s why I called you my friend...not because I wanted Laurel to think I’m single, Felicity.”

She quickly looked away, feeling all of her anger dissipate. _That...made a lot of sense._ Oliver hadn’t been nervous about bumping into his hot ex-girlfriend. He’d felt uncomfortable. And it was kind of sweet that part of his discomfort was because he was worried about _her._ Felicity blew out a breath as she mumbled, “Wow.”

His eyes flickered from the road to her, hesitation in his gaze. “What?”

Felicity made a face, “Was that our first fight as a couple?” 

Oliver huffed out a laugh, “We’ve had worse fights.”

“Arguments don’t need to progressively get worse every time you have them, Oliver,” she rolled her eyes. “Besides, you did good! Great job explaining yourself. I suppose you’re off the hook.”

“You’ve never been one to let me off the hook. You’re much meaner than that.”

Felicity slapped his arm, “I’m not mean!”

Oliver laughed, “I never said I didn’t like it.”

“Fine, but for the record, I’m not going to let us get carried away with this. We can just...keep it between us. As far as anyone else is concerned, nothing has changed. We’re not trying to do something crazy here like trick our friends and family.”

_Or ourselves._

“Of course,” he nodded, “that never works in romcoms anyway, right?”

They arrived at his apartment a few minutes later and carted the groceries into the building. Felicity walked straight into his penthouse, heading for the island in the center of the kitchen, placing the bags on the countertop with Oliver right behind.

Once they had all their ingredients out, and once Felicity had stolen a couple of cookies, they washed their hands and Oliver guided her to the counter. “Okay,” he clapped his hands together. “What do you want to help with? Cutting up the vegetables, cooking the chicken, or making the sauce?”

“I’m helping? I thought _you_ were cooking _for_ me.”

Oliver leveled her with a look, “Where’s the fun in that? Besides...it defeats the purpose. Cooking together is a normal thing that couples do, isn’t it?”

“Like holding hands?”

He grinned, a devilish glint in his eye as he looked back at her from across the room. “Yeah, like holding hands. And plenty of other things. But we can start with cooking.”

“I don’t cook.”

“I know,” Oliver chuckled. “That’s why I’m supervising. I’d rather not have this evening end with my kitchen up in flames.”

Felicity stuck her tongue out at him before reaching for the carrots and potatoes he’d picked out. She was much more confident in her ability to use a knife than she was with anything that involved a chef’s instinct. Which, apparently, Oliver had.

He stood beside her at the stove, focused on cooking the chicken, adding spices to the sauce as he saw fit. She was surprisingly impressed when he leaned around her to get a lemon out of the fridge and then proceeded to zest it, commenting that it was just what the white wine sauce needed. 

She didn’t even know that Oliver knew what zesting meant.

The pan simmered on the burner as they cooked, filling the room with the most delicious smells that made her stomach turn with excitement. And hunger. The cookies weren’t doing much to hold her over, after all.

Once the vegetables were roasting in the oven and she didn’t have anything else to do, Felicity poured them each a glass of wine, then she settled onto a stool and opened a magazine she found on the table. But she barely cared about the catalogue of clothes and home décor, because she was much more interested in watching Oliver Queen work his way around the kitchen. He was a natural, despite the fact that Felicity had no idea he even knew where his cooking utensils were kept, much less that he knew how to use them. 

As she nibbled on another cookie and watched him, Felicity found herself preoccupied with other thoughts. The long-legged, ex-girlfriend kind of thoughts that she just couldn’t seem to get out of her head. Oliver’s explanation made enough sense. He’d always been protective of her in strange ways like that. Felicity had gotten the sense that the woman had claws, so it wasn’t all that surprising that Oliver wanted to avoid them. But the thing she really couldn’t wrap her head around was how he’d ever dated someone like Laurel in the first place.

She hated to be judgmental, but Oliver was one of the warmest people she’d ever met, and Laurel...seemed the opposite.

Ever since Felicity met Oliver, he’d been flippant about women, trivial about relationships, and thoughtless about almost everything. She liked to think he’d changed a lot since college. Surely he’d grown into a respectable man and business owner. But when it came to love? Oliver seemed just as clueless now as he had been back then. And Felicity couldn’t help but wonder how much Laurel Lance played a role in how he turned out. He’d said that Laurel was quite ruthless to the girls he’d cheated on her with, but that she forgave him and stayed with him every time. _But...why? And why did he let her get away with that? Why didn’t he just break up with her, since he clearly didn’t love her enough not to cheat?_

Felicity wanted to chalk it up to two people who were young, dumb, and didn’t know themselves. But with Laurel popping up at the store, right in her face like that, the questions were starting to eat her up. And Felicity knew she wasn’t going to enjoy this night very much unless she confronted it.

She and Oliver did that. They were friends and they confronted things. They were always honest with each other. It was why their friendship had lasted longer than any flings that either of them have ever had.

_Right?_

“Oliver,” Felicity pushed the magazine aside, waiting for him to look at her. “I was just wondering...was Laurel your first love? Or, I mean, is she the closest you’ve been to it?” _Since he’s mentioned, many times, that he’s never been in love._

“Felicity,” he looked at her sternly, “do we really need to talk about this?”

“Why not!?”

“You know my dating history,” he pointed out.

“No,” Felicity disagreed. “I know your disgusting _mating_ history. Huge difference. Come on, tell me.”

He blinked at her for a moment, then he sighed, turned the stove off, and stepped over to the island where she sat. “You seriously want to talk about this?”

“Talking about past relationships is a normal thing that couples do, isn’t it?” she tossed his words back at him.

“No, Laurel wasn’t my first love,” he sighed, giving in. “Actually, whatever we felt for each other was basically an unhealthy, twisted version of what we both _thought_ love was at the time.” Oliver met Felicity’s gaze evenly, as if he knew that that was the best way to get his point across. “Despite my mistakes, I _thought_ that was how I felt about her. But as I got older, I realized that it was never love. What Laurel and I had was probably the most toxic relationship of my life...and you’ve met my parents.”

“Well,” Felicity chewed on her lip. “That’s all hindsight, right? I mean, not to tear open old wounds, but why did you cheat on her, then? If you thought you were in love at the time, I can’t wrap my head around why you would...”

Oliver shrugged, “I was also really good at sabotaging myself. Still am, I suppose. Laurel was everything I thought I wanted because she was everything my parents wanted for me. She didn’t bat an eye at my...indiscretions. She had our whole future planned, and she didn’t care if I screwed up because she always said that I was just a boy...and that I’d become a good man someday.” He lifted a shoulder, “I guess I liked that she saw me that way. I assumed that we were great together because everyone else said we were. _She_ said we were, even after everything I did.”

“So that night with Suzie Pray was the wakeup call?”

Oliver sighed, “I finally accepted that I wasn’t going to change if people kept letting me off the hook or finding someone else to blame. It made me realize that I wanted to be a good man, but I would never be a good man for _her._ I guess that’s what Laurel finally realized after I broke up with her. And why she decided to cut me out of her life completely when we went off to college.”

“You know me,” Felicity whispered, “and you know I love you, Oliver, so I don’t want this question to come across as rude, but...is she the reason that you got to be the way you are?”

“Felicity,” he laughed. “My opinions on love, sex, and marriage have nothing to do with a broken heart that never healed or a torch I still carry for an ex-girlfriend.”

She stared at him, skeptical. “Then what is it about?”

He sighed, “I don’t know...my family, probably. The fact that I was raised by two people who had more affairs than they had honest conversations. My parents despise each other and they have for as long as I can remember. I didn’t exactly have the best example of a stable relationship to look up to. So, over time, my way just seemed easier.”

Felicity nodded, noticing the glimmer of sadness that touched his eyes, the extra effort he put into keeping his smile in place. Of course, she understood that completely. While she had opened up to exes more than Oliver had, she didn’t exactly grow up with the best example of healthy love from her parents, either. 

Noticing the shift in the room, the mood a bit more somber and raw than was common for them, Felicity crossed the space until she was standing next to Oliver. She reached for him, cupping his cheek in the palm of her hand. “I think Laurel and I can agree on one thing, at least,” she mumbled.

“Hm?” Oliver tipped his head towards her hand, his eyes locking on hers. “What’s that?”

“You turned out to be a good man, Oliver Queen.”

At that, he cracked a smile. Just as she’d hoped. And then he moved back to the stove, finishing dinner while Felicity browsed through the magazine again. 

When it was finally, _finally,_ time to eat, she hummed happily, hopping off the stool to follow him to the table. Felicity filled each of their plates with a piece of chicken and a generous serving of roasted carrots and potatoes; delighted with the simplicity of the meal while her mouth also watered from the aromas of his wine sauce. “This looks amazing,” Felicity groaned, sitting down in her chair.

Oliver had disappeared to the other side of the room, turning the radio on for some easy background music. He came back with a matchbook and proceeded to light the candles on the table before dimming the lights.

“Um,” Felicity pinched her lips together, glancing around at the sudden change in atmosphere. “Certainly setting the mood there, huh, Romeo?”

Oliver snorted, taking his seat across from her before reaching over to pat her hand. “Like I keep telling you, sweetheart, I’m going all out this month.”

“It’s really not necessary,” she huffed. They’d gone from a platonic car ride, to flirting in the grocery store, to a serious conversation, to flat out _romance_ in the span of a couple hours (not to mention the incredible sex they’d had just last night), and it was all a little overwhelming, giving her whip lash.

“Listen,” Oliver sighed as he started filling their glasses with the wine she’d picked out at the store. “Maybe once you stop looking so surprised that I know a thing or two about romance, I’ll stop being so over the top. But until then…” he flashed a smile at her, clinking his glass to hers and taking a sip.

She was too hungry to debate Oliver’s romantic instincts. Everything smelled too good to even tease him back. So Felicity just shrugged, focusing on getting the delicious food into her mouth. She moaned as the flavors hit her tongue with the first bite. And then she found herself trying not to inhale her entire plate in one breath. Even as she forced herself to savor it, to eat slowly, they kept the conversation minimal. As soon as her plate was clear, Oliver was serving her seconds. Felicity didn’t even pause, stabbing a carrot with her fork and popping it into her mouth.

Eventually, with her stomach full and happy, Felicity picked up her wine glass and leaned back in her chair. “You did a wonderful job, Oliver. A girl could really get used to meals like that. Seriously, I would willingly commit to a lifetime of your cooking. I mean, as far as this experiment goes, you’ve made your girlfriend very happy.”

He smiled, his dimples appearing, a slight blush rising on his cheeks as she praised him. “Thank you. I’m glad you liked it. Maybe I’ll have to start cooking more and packing you lunches so I know you won’t forget to eat at work.”

“That might actually do the trick,” Felicity laughed, too. 

She wouldn’t deny food like his for the rest of the month. And eating wouldn’t slip her mind if this was what she had to look forward to. Oliver rolled his eyes, “So, how is work, anyway? Palmer asked you to clock in on a Saturday?”

“No,” Felicity shrugged. “He didn’t ask. I just got a little wrapped up in this idea for this piece of tech.”

“Mm,” Oliver hummed, raising his eyebrows as he watched her over his wine glass. “What was it this time? Another DNA tracking system to help catch criminals?”

“No,” she blew out an exasperated breath. “I’ve been thinking about some sort of microchip that could—wait,” Felicity paused, her eyes darting up to him, her face instantly feeling warm. “You remember Archer?”

It was a stupid assignment for a Criminal Justice course she’d taken as an elective in college. They were supposed to come up with a solution to the growing crime rates. And while most of her classmates had focused on their textbook for answers, Felicity dreamed up an entire program(and named it) that would ensure that police were putting the right people behind bars by linking evidence at a crime scene to a DNA database that could find a person from anywhere in the world. She’d argued that people were unreliable, but a scientific solution would never lie. And she’d gotten a B for creativity, but Felicity thought it was bullshit that her professor docked her grade because she didn’t simply write a lame research paper.

“Of course I remember,” Oliver chuckled. “It was just about the most interesting first conversation I’d ever had with a girl.”

She’d been in the campus library one night, working on her project, when Oliver came barging into her study room. He’d introduced himself, explaining that his lab partner wanted to sleep with him and he wasn’t interested, and he needed a place to get a break. Felicity had asked why he felt the need to hide from said lab partner, and he sheepishly admitted that he’d already slept with her once, so the problem was that he didn’t want to tell the poor girl that he didn’t want to sleep with her _again._

“I can’t believe you remember that,” Felicity rolled her eyes, shaking her head at him as she recalled how Oliver had started to flirt with her that night by asking what she was working on. He had only been attempting to start a conversation, but it ended with the two of them spending hours in that study room while she explained the details of Archer to him. By the time they left, he’d even offered a few ideas that she put in her project. And he’d insisted that she had to tell him how she did on the presentation.

Of course, it had all been theoretical work, but Felicity had kept talking because Oliver had kept asking questions, looking like he was completely fascinated with every word she’d said.

“How could I forget meeting you?” He gave her a strange look, like he couldn’t believe she was even questioning it. “I knew you were special from the moment you opened your mouth, Felicity. Showed me all the genius stuff you have inside that brain of yours.”

Well, she’d be a _robot_ if those words didn’t pull at her heartstrings.

Felicity stared back at him, basking in the warmth in his eyes. In his words. In the _moment._ “I remember meeting you too,” she answered slowly. “Even though I thought you were a total jerk at first, I guess there was something about you that stuck out to me. It was the start of a beautiful friendship,” she grinned.

“You know, I don’t really remember meeting many of the people in my life for the first time, especially in college. But with you, it was just… _instant._ A connection. I wanted to know everything about you.” Her breath caught in her throat as Oliver glanced down at his wine with a distant look in his eyes.

“Yeah,” she choked out, feeling off balance by his admission. By the emotion he was letting her see. By his honesty. “You didn’t want to go back to your lab partner who had the hots for you. I remember that, too.”

Oliver chuckled under his breath, “It was more than that. I knew you were going to be important to me, you know?”

Her head felt light from the wine and his voice. The low, careful way that he was speaking. “Yeah, I know,” she whispered back.

And she did. She remembered every detail of that night. From the moment he stepped into her study room and their eyes met, to when they finally parted ways and he’d given her his phone number, letting her know that he really hoped to hear from her again. 

That night, Oliver had allowed her to see how sweet he was beneath all the bravado.

It was the only reason she reached out to him to get coffee later that week.

And the only reason she continued to spend time with him ever since. He continued to treat her the same way. With respect. With care.

_The rest was history._

“I guess sometimes,” Felicity murmured quietly, “when you meet someone who matters to you, there’s a part of you that just knows they’re going to matter. So you remember it.”

His voice was barely above a whisper when he spoke again, just a rumble from his chest, but she heard him. “I remember all of it, Felicity.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm always hesitant to include Laurel in stories, I know it can be a turn off for some. But hopefully if you finished this chapter and didn't quit as soon as her name came up, you can see why I brought her in. She was a way for Oliver to talk about his past and for Felicity to understand him a little better. Plus, I loved the conversation that Oliver and Felicity have in this chapter, both about his history and their history together. So I hope you all liked it, too!  
> Please let me know what you think in the comments :)
> 
> Tumblr: @smoaking-greenarrow   
> Twitter: @olicitysbett


	4. Massages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #7 Massages (As long as you don't make it weird -Felicity)
> 
> Just when Felicity thinks she finally might not hate Mondays, she receives some news that threatens her good mood. But she's determined not to let it ruin the time she spends with Oliver.

Someday. 

Someday, she would have her life together enough that every morning didn’t spiral into total chaos. Someday, she’d be a morning person. Someday, she’d be the kind of woman who woke up early, got a workout in, and never had to rush out the door.

But Monday would never be that day. 

Not this Monday. Not any Monday. Because Felicity _hated_ Monday with a passion and always had.

She always struggled to get out of bed on these particularly evil mornings, and it never seemed to matter what she did. Even when she woke up on time and showered quickly, she wound up walking into Palmer Tech at least five minutes late. And on _this_ Monday, she was stuck in traffic and wouldn’t have time to stop for coffee unless she wanted to be _really_ late.

Which was a travesty.

It wasn’t like Felicity, or anyone that worked for Ray Palmer, was at risk of losing their jobs for being a few minutes late. Even if it happened every Monday morning, like it did for her. Mr. Palmer was cool like that, but Felicity hated the idea of her coworkers thinking that she was incompetent. And stumbling through the front doors with her hair falling out of her ponytail wasn’t a great impression.

As she pulled up to a red light, Felicity took a moment to fix the mess on her head, smoothing her hair back into the usual sleek ponytail she wore. Then in the parking lot, she touched up her makeup and her clothes until she was presentable, and hurried inside.

“Good morning, Ms. Smoak,” the receptionist greeted her with a warm smile.

Felicity smiled back, waving as she headed for the elevators.

Typically, she was the last person on her team to arrive, but she was certainly more productive with her day than others. Ray Palmer himself had even expressed an interest in her work.

_Who knew, in another year or two, maybe she’d be seeing one of her ideas become a reality._

“Hi, Fel,” Alena greeted her as soon as she noticed her coming down the hall. 

Felicity narrowed her eyes at her friend, out of patience for that nickname she hated as soon as she entered the building. But then she noticed what was in Alena’s hands. “One of those for me?” She asked hopefully, gesturing to the two white coffee cups.

“Mm-hm,” Alena sang. “I thought you might need it.”

“You were right,” Felicity groaned, wiggling her fingers impatiently until Alena handed over the caffeine. Then she sighed, closing her eyes as they reached her office. “Thank you.”

Alena smiled, following Felicity inside. “You’re welcome.” To her credit, Alena waited until Felicity had her coat off, and at least one sip of coffee, before she dove in on an interrogation. “So, how was your weekend? See any charming and ruggedly handsome men I might know?”

Felicity cocked her head to the side, “Tommy Merlyn? I thought you weren’t interested in him.”

Sticking her finger in her mouth, Alena feigned disgust, making Felicity chuckle. “I’m not. Tommy makes me feel like I could catch an STD just by looking at him. Doesn’t Oliver have any cute friends?”

“Eh,” Felicity shrugged. “Sure, but they’re all arrogant douchebags.” She paused, frowning as she looked back at Alena. “Then again, I used to think the same thing about Oliver. You sure you don’t want to give Tommy a chance?”

Alena arched an eyebrow, “I’d rather take my own eyeballs out with a fork.”

“That’s…” Felicity winced. “A disturbing image.”

“Speaking of Oliver–” her friend pushed forward.

“No, we’re not speaking of Oliver,” Felicity pointed a finger at her. “We have work to do. So…Let’s get a move on.” Picking up her coffee cup, she walked back to the door, holding it open as she ushered Alena out.

They walked together down the hallway to the lab where the rest of their team was waiting.

Their team, meaning Curtis Holt, since the division was made up of the three of them. Sometimes they’d be joined by an occasional specialist if they needed one on a certain project. But lately it’s just been the three of them. 

As they entered the lab, Felicity saw that Curtis was already hovering in his area, files laid out neatly on the table in front of him as he waited for her and Alena to arrive. Patient as always. She smiled at Curtis as she walked in, grateful that he’d managed to get their work stations set up and everything in order. “Morning, Mr. Holt.”

Curtis spun around at Felicity’s voice, and she realized that he wasn’t alone in the room. She froze, her heart lurching into her throat at the sight of their intimidating yet handsome CEO. 

She’d spoken to Ray Palmer countless times, seeing as she oversaw one of their most important divisions. But...the guy’s name was on the building. It was hard not to feel a little nervous every time she talked to him.

Mr. Palmer waved as Felicity and Alena approached. “Good morning Ms. Smoak. Ms. Whitlock. I know I typically schedule my visits to the lab, I apologize for dropping in like this. My meeting this morning was postponed to this afternoon, so I thought I’d come take a look at the projects you’ve been working on since I had a free hour.”

“Of course,” Felicity breathed. “Yes, of course. Any time, Mr. Palmer.”

“Please, call me Ray.”

Felicity nodded, “Ray. My team has a few projects in early development we could walk you through. Although I’m sorry it wouldn’t be much of a presentation. We’re still in the early stages of developing a few ideas.”

Ray shook his head, waving her off. “I’m an inventor first and foremost, I don’t need a flashy presentation to be interested, Ms. Smoak. I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to. I’m certain that the plans you updated me on in your emails are even more incredible in person. I was actually excited when my meeting got moved.” He glanced at Curtis and Alena, a wide smile on his face. “It gave me a chance to come down and see you...Um—your team. And your work, of course.”

“Well,” Felicity kept her smile in place, “We’d be happy to give you the tour.”

Luckily, Felicity was good at rolling with the punches. It was part of the reason she was good at her job. Thinking on her feet came with the territory. So once she shook off her initial nerves, she and Alena tag-teamed a quick rundown for Mr. Palmer on the schematics of a navigation system Palmer Tech planned to roll out within the year. And while she and Curtis tended to get carried away with the technology, Alena kept the conversation grounded, chiming in to fill in the details and practicalities.

It took less than thirty minutes to show Ray everything. Well, all the most important and impressive parts, at least. Then he had the rest of his busy schedule to get back to, but not without complimenting the three of them again and saying how happy he was to know that their team was a well-oiled machine. One that he was proud to rely on.

And that turned Felicity’s morning around completely.

For the rest of the day, she and Curtis were bouncing with excitement, while Alena kept her composure for the most part. But even she couldn’t hide the fact that they’d just impressed the hell out of the most important person in the company. 

Their CEO wasn’t just a successful businessman. He was _the_ successful businessman when it came to technological advances all across the country. Felicity was honored to work for Palmer Tech, and she knew that Curtis and Alena felt the same way. For all three of them, it was their dream job. So it _floored_ them for the rest of the day, just knowing that they had Ray’s approval and respect.

Felicity had always known that she was smart. She always knew what she was capable of. Palmer Tech gave her the tools to turn her dreams into a reality. Getting a job there was her first step. Being promoted to lead the team was her second step. And there were still plenty of steps to look forward to. Despite her poor start to the morning, Felicity felt certain that nothing could bring her good mood down.

With fresh motivation, they decided to focus on the navigation project and made quick work of it. Alena even offered to buy her and Curtis lunch to celebrate. And just when Felicity thought her day couldn’t go any better, Oliver texted her and asked if he could bring dinner over to her apartment. Which left her smiling for the rest of the afternoon.

They agreed on Indian, he promised to be there by 7:00, and Felicity’s good mood made everything else fly by.

When she got back to her apartment later that night, she headed straight inside with plans of getting into some comfy clothes, curling up on the couch with Oliver, and eating all the garlic naan that her stomach could hold. 

Felicity stopped at the front door to pick up the mail, taking it inside with her and throwing it on the kitchen table before she walked down the hall and into her bedroom. Her hair went up into a bun. She put on her favorite pair of yoga pants(the ones that had Oliver’s handprint on the butt from when she had first moved into the townhouse and he’d helped her paint the walls). Then she turned the TV on and started carding through her mail, ignoring most of it to deal with later, until her fingers stumbled over a handwritten letter.

With an _Iron Heights Penitentiary_ stamp across the top.

Felicity froze. Her hands shook as she looked down at the letter she never expected to get. Her breath caught in her throat, the words in front of her the only thing she could see. And her mind began to panic. 

Years. 

She’d made her peace _years_ ago.

_What could he possibly want?_

_And why now?_

“Felicity?” Oliver’s voice made her jump, pulling her from her thoughts. She whipped around, her eyes finding him in her doorway. He stood on the threshold of her apartment, their food in one of his hands and his other raised in apology. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. You didn’t hear me knock?” 

“Uh,” Felicity huffed, dropping the letter and the rest of her pile of mail back on the counter. “No. Sorry, I guess I didn’t.”

Oliver gave her a strange look, taking that as his invitation to come in. He closed the door and moved to the kitchen, setting the bag of takeout on the coffee table. “What’s up with you?” he asked suspiciously as he raised his chin.

“Oh,” Felicity chuckled, sounding breathless even to her own ears. “Nothing. Nothing, I was just…” she waved her hand above her own head, “You know me.” 

Oliver knew better than almost anyone that when she had something on her mind, she tended to have a tunnel vision focus on it. He’d had to snap his fingers in front of her face until she listened on more than one occasion. And sometimes when that didn’t work, he’d resort to gently tugging on her hair until she gave him her full attention.

Cocking his head to the side, Oliver continued to watch her. “Is it work, or something else? You kind of look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

_That was an understatement._

She must have jinxed herself; thinking she was having such a great day. Of course something had to come along and ruin it.

_But...no._

No, Felicity wasn’t going to let any ghosts, or their letters, ruin her night with Oliver. This whole month was about avoiding reality anyway, wasn’t it? Fake boyfriend. Fake relationship. Fake dates. 

Her real pain could wait until she’d at least had dinner.

With a quick shake of her head, Felicity shook off her demons and put a smile on her face. “I’m fine,” she promised. 

Felicity reached for the food, taking everything out and bringing it into the living room. She plopped down on the couch while Oliver went to the kitchen for plates and silverware. He handed it all to her before turning back to the kitchen. “Wine?” he called over his shoulder.

“Yes, please!”

Filling each of their plates with a little bit of everything, Felicity groaned at the incredible smells. “You went to Mother India, didn’t you?”

“That’s the one on Sixth Street that you said is your favorite, right?”

“Mmm,” Felicity hummed as the familiar smell filled her nose and her stomach growled in response. “Yes. Impressive memory.”

After her first few months of living in Starling, she’d tried numerous Indian restaurants in search of one that was as good as a place she loved back in Boston. None of them could quite compare to it when she had a craving for butter chicken. But eventually she found Mother India and all was right in the world.

Oliver sat down next to her on the couch, setting their wine glasses next to the plates. “I told you. I remember all of it, Felicity.”

She rolled her eyes, not nearly as affected by that swoon-worthy line of his when he was smirking at her like that. “You’re not as smooth as you think you are,” she teased. “Although, it’s nice that you remembered.”

“Nice, huh?”

His tone made it sound like a bad thing, and Felicity shrugged. “Yes. What’s wrong with that? You _are_ nice.”

“I thought women didn’t like _nice_.”

Felicity snorted, “You have so much to learn, my friend. _So much_ .” Oliver didn’t answer, his eyebrows furrowing as if he was really thinking about her words. And she sighed, shaking her head at him. “ _I_ like men who are nice. Do you really think we would have kept you around all these years if you were a jerk to me?”

“Well, no,” he huffed. “It’s just...we were friends. It was different.”

“Not when it comes to how you treat me. That part shouldn’t change,” Felicity shrugged. “If this was real, I mean, I wouldn’t want that part to change.”

Oliver nodded slowly, his lips twitching with a smile. “Okay, then it won’t.”

“It better not,” Felicity grumbled back.

His smile ticked up a notch, “It never will.”

As he took his first bite, she watched him out of the corner of her eye. It was easy enough to put the letter out of her mind when Oliver started asking her about her day. And she relaxed even more when he told her about his own Monday troubles.

After they finished eating, both of them leaning into the cushions and their stomachs full, Felicity nudged her shoulder against Oliver’s. “Thank you for dinner.”

He smiled, his eyes skimming over her face. “You kind of make this whole boyfriend thing seem easy.”

“Ah,” she raised an eyebrow at him, “Just wait until I start spending all my time at work and you start flirting with the hot neighbor so you can stop feeling lonely. I think that’s when all relationships start to get messy.”

Oliver chuckled, patting her knee, “You watch too much TV.”

Felicity snorted in response, closing her eyes and resting her head on the back of the couch. She could feel Oliver’s eyes on her, lingering, but she ignored it. 

“You sure you’re okay?” He asked again, gently brushing his thumb across her cheek.

Felicity peeked one eye open and gave him a small smile. “Honestly...not really.” His eyebrows furrowed in concern, but she shook her head before he could ask. “Can we...please _not_ talk about it right now? I just want to relax and hang out with you for a while, okay?”

Even though he still looked worried, Oliver nodded. “Of course. Anything you need.”

Felicity nudged him again. “See?” She said, “When it comes to this boyfriend stuff, you’re a natural.”

Oliver scoffed at that, “I highly doubt that’s it. I just know that trying to get you to talk about something that you don’t want to talk about is a waste of time. You’re the most stubborn person I know.”

“I am not!” Felicity tossed her hand out in his direction, looking at him incredulously as she smacked his chest.

“Hell yeah you are. Take it as a compliment, Smoak.”

Felicity laughed, “I will not be taking _stubborn_ as a compliment any time soon.”

“Persistent?”

She made a face, “Eh.”

“How about headstrong?”

“A little better.”

“Tenacious.”

Felicity smiled, “All right, I’ll allow it.”

He was good at calming her nerves. And she still had no idea if he did it on purpose, or if he was completely unaware of his effect on her.

Once they finally managed to pull themselves off the couch, Felicity cleaned up while Oliver washed the dishes. And once they had that out of the way, they settled in to watch a movie.

He let her pick whatever she wanted to watch. Just like he always did.

Felicity put her feet in his lap, and Oliver pulled the blanket from the back of the couch to cover her legs with it. Just like he always did.

And while the movie began to play, Oliver’s warm hands came to rest on top of her legs as he relaxed into the cushions of her couch. Just like he always did.

It was that moment when it finally hit Felicity that there were some things, certain rituals such as this, that would always just be _them._ There were no boundaries to define, or lines to cross, or feelings to overanalyze.

She couldn’t define _this._ She couldn’t fit _this_ feeling into a neat little box. She couldn’t label each side of him as Friend, or Fuck Buddy, or Fake Boyfriend, and then open and close the doors as she pleased.

In moments like this, which she now realized have always existed between them, there was just Oliver. And Felicity. Who they were. How they would always be whenever they’re together. 

There were times when Felicity couldn’t identify how she felt about him. Not because she didn’t know, and not because she was afraid.

It was because...Oliver Queen was _never_ simply one thing to her. He was her best friend, and he was the best sex she’d ever had, and he was the man that she was falling for. He was all of it. All at once.

_God, he was everything._

And that had always been a part of them, a layer of their connection that’s been there since they met and would continue to be there no matter what happened next.

Just like Oliver said. _I knew you were going to be important to me._

“Oliver,” Felicity choked out, her eyes suddenly swimming with tears as she considered _how_ important he truly was to her. 

Maybe it was the letter, or the moment, or the deal she’d made with Oliver, or maybe it was a combination of everything...But something made Felicity realize that she wanted him to be in her life, for the rest of her life. And with that realization came a gut-reaction that set her stomach in knots, an instinctive fear of losing him.

Oliver glanced away from the screen, his eyes widening at whatever emotion he saw on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“I just...I appreciate you being in my life, and I love you, and I never want to lose you.”

His mouth opened, then closed. 

He stared at her as if he was trying to solve a puzzle, which she couldn’t really blame him for. She was sort of all over the place tonight. “You’re never going to lose me, Felicity.”

She nodded once, blinking back more tears that threatened to betray her.

“Hey,” Oliver paused the movie, then rubbed her leg to get her attention again. “Where is this coming from?”

“I got a letter today,” Felicity blurted out, surprising herself. She knew that the wave of emotion was about more than just the letter, but it was an easy scapegoat in that moment, since she wasn’t sure she had the words to explain the rest.

Oliver raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. 

“From my dad.”

“Wow,” He huffed in surprise. “What did it say?”

Shifting uncomfortably on the couch, Felicity shrugged. This wasn’t something she talked about often. Oliver knew that. Her dad and everything he did was a memory that she preferred to keep locked up tight. But he knew the story. And he knew where Felicity stood. “I haven’t opened it yet.”

“Do you…” Oliver’s grip tightened on her leg, grounding her. His eyes stayed locked on her face, calming her. “Do you want to? I can be here. If you want me to stay, I mean.”

The idea of being alone when she read the letter made her want to throw the thing in the fire and pretend she never saw it. But Felicity also knew that she’d never be able to do that. No matter how much she hated her father, not knowing what he wrote would drive her crazy. 

“Hell yes I want you to be here,” she sighed, still feeling conflicted. “I’m just not sure I’m ready to open it right now.”

Oliver nodded in understanding, giving her a patient smile. “Well, whenever you’re ready, you just give me a call. I’ll be right here to hold your hand.”

Felicity’s heart warmed at the idea of that. Of course, she has always known that Oliver would be there for her. For anything. He’d always been a reliable friend. He’d always answer her calls, offer advice, and listen to her rant about everything that bothered her.

But maybe there was something else to be said. Something deeper about their connection. Something that went both ways. _Maybe she’d just been too afraid to see it._

“Well,” she whispered, “It might take me a long time to build up the courage for...that.”

“Nah,” Oliver patted her leg. “You hate mysteries. Once you have some time to process how you feel, you’ll be ready to face it head on.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, “How are you so sure?”

“You’re tenacious like that, Smoak.”

Felicity couldn’t fight the smile that pulled at her lips. “Thank you.”

Oliver shrugged, “Thank you for letting me be here.”

“Like I said,” she grinned, “You’re weirdly good at this boyfriend thing.”

He let out a small chuckle, “Thank you for that, too. For going along with this...unorthodox take on dating. I couldn’t imagine trying something like this with anyone but you. I’m glad you agreed, Felicity. If it lets me be here for you in this way, then I’m glad you agreed.”

“Mmm,” Felicity sighed, wanting to forget about the letter for now. She’d had a good day. She and Oliver were sharing a nice moment. And she didn’t owe her father a damn thing.

Oliver was right. She would deal with it when she was ready. _And he would be there for her whenever that was._

“Well,” Felicity watched him as he watched her. “I’d say it’s going okay so far. You? You’re feeling okay? No sudden urge to run for the hills yet?”

He laughed, “Nope. I feel fine right here.”

_Good._

If she was being honest, Felicity wasn’t sure how she would handle it if Oliver decided that ‘dating’ her was too much for him. “Me too,” she smiled. “But you know what would make me feel even better?”

“What?”

In response, Felicity lifted her feet that were still resting in his lap, wiggling them against his chest. Oliver chuckled, shaking his head as she smirked back at him. “You know, when I wrote ‘Massages’ on our list, I was thinking of something a little more...sensual. Like you with your clothes off. In my bed,” he sighed, a slow grin crossing his face, “Maybe some oil involved.”

Felicity’s mouth popped open, “Yeah, now that I think about it, there’s no way we’re doing that.”

“You’re just saying that because you’ve never experienced an Oliver Queen back massage. I’ll change your life, Smoak.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, “Clearly I’d had too much to drink that night if I let you get away with putting _that_ on the list.”

“You didn’t,” Oliver snorted. “If I remember correctly, you made sure to write that I can’t ‘make it weird.’”

Pushing her red-painted toes further up his chest, Felicity giggled. “So, get to it, Mr. Queen. But don’t make it weird.”

Oliver laughed as he plucked one of her feet up and slowly started to massage the sole of her foot with his thumbs. 

Felicity sighed, instant pleasure washing over every inch of her skin that Oliver touched. “I might let you off the hook in a few minutes, but you’re surprisingly good at this. So maybe not.”

“Told you,” Oliver hummed back, his hands sliding up to her toes.

She hummed in agreement as he applied more pressure, her eyes slipping shut. “Best fake boyfriend ever,” Felicity moaned, her head falling back against the cushion of the couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, happy last day of February!  
> This will probably be my last update for a bit while I finish some other fics in the next couple of weeks. Also I'm a little torn on how I want to continue posting, so I might do a twitter poll in the near future. I'm not sure if I want to update each chapter as I finish them (whenever that would be), or wait until I have the next four completed so that I can do weekly updates throughout the month again. Feel free to let me know what you'd prefer! And I hope you've all enjoyed Oliver and Felicity's journey so far :)
> 
> Tumblr: @smoaking-greenarrow  
> Twitter: @olicitysbett


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